What happened
On the night of the accident, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 was operating a scheduled service from Singapore to Los Angeles, with a planned stop in Taipei. Following its arrival in Taipei, the aircraft taxied via taxiway NP, which runs alongside runways 05L and 05R. Due to ongoing construction work, runway 05R was partially closed, as specified in a NOTAM issued by CAA Taiwan on August 31, 2000. While the crew had been cleared for departure from runway 05L, the aircraft instead turned into taxiway N1 and performed a 180-degree turn onto the restricted runway 05R.
At approximately 23:15:45, the Boeing 747 began its takeoff roll on the closed runway. The flight occurred during severe weather conditions caused by typhoon 'Xiang Sane', characterized by heavy rain, low visibility of 600 meters, and high winds gusting up to 56 knots. Roughly 3.5 seconds after reaching V1 speed, the aircraft struck construction equipment, including excavators and concrete barriers, located on runway 05R. The impact caused the plane to crash back onto the runway, where it broke into two primary sections and caught fire. The wreckage was scattered along the runway, with the debris field stretching from 4,080 feet to 6,480 feet from the threshold. There were 0 fatalities reported in this incident.
Findings
Investigation into the event highlighted that the aircraft mistakenly utilized runway 05R, which was undergoing conversion into taxiway NC. The unauthorized use of a closed runway during extreme weather conditions was the primary factor leading to the collision with construction machinery.